Paulin Soumanou Vieyra

Directing

Paulin Soumanou Vieyra

Born January 31, 1925 · Porto-Novo, Benin

Died November 4, 1987 · aged 62

Benin-born, Senegal-raised filmmaker, theorist, and historian Paulin Soumanou Vieyra was a key figure, as both practitioner and thinker, in the creation and articulation of what a post-colonial African cinema would and could be. Along with producing essential texts like “Film and the Problem of Languages in Africa“ and “Remarks on African Cinema,” founding the important Fédération Panafricaine des…

Known For

XalaXala · 1975
Xala
6.91975
MovieComedy
A rich businessman in Senegal is cursed with crippling erectile dysfunction upon the day of his marriage to his third wife; the only cure is brutal public humiliation.
Devil in the FleshDevil in the Flesh · 1947
Devil in the Flesh
6.21947
MovieDramaRomance
In France during World War I, Marthe waits for her husband, Jacques, while he fights on the front lines. Marthe then begins a tempestuous affair with 17-year-old François, with whom she had a dalliance before marrying Jacques. Jealous François struggles with the fact that Marthe is married, while she tries to prove her devotion to her young, hotheaded lover. Things become even more complex when Marthe becomes pregnant with Jacques' baby.
CeddoCeddo · 1978
Ceddo
6.81978
MovieDrama
The Ceddo people try to preserve their traditional African culture against the onslaught of Islam, Christianity, and the slave trade. When King Demba War sides with the Muslims, the Ceddo kidnap his daughter, Princess Dior Yacine, to protest their forcible conversion to Islam.
A Nation is BornA Nation is Born · 1961
A Nation is Born
1961
MovieDocumentary
Une nation est née depicts the progression of Senegal from colonization to sovereignty, shown allegorically through scenes of dance and celebrations of its newly-reclaimed independence.
EmitaïEmitaï · 1973
Emitaï
7.31973
MovieDrama
As World War II rages in Europe, a conflict arises between the French and the Diola-speaking tribe of Africa, prompting the village women to organize their men to sit beneath a tree to pray.
MôlMôl · 1966
Môl
1966
MovieDrama
A young fisherman dreams of motorizing his boat to make his work easier. His dream becomes reality, thanks to his courage and his determination but causes conflict between traditional values and the modern notion of progress.
After LoveAfter Love · 1948
After Love
5.31948
MovieDrama
Betrayed by his wife, a teacher proceeds to have an affair with a young and pretty student. The two women both find themselves expecting a child. The girl dies during childbirth. In a spirit of revenge and to keep his real son, the scorned husband exchanges the babies.
Emile the AfricanEmile the African · 1948
Emile the African
6.31948
MovieAdventure
Émile Boulard is a props man in a Paris movie studio. He has a wife, Suzanne. Or to be more accurate, let's say he HAD a wife since she left him fifteen years before, allegedly ... to go buy a post stamp. But now that their daughter Martine , who lives with her, is old enough to marry, she resurfaces. She confesses that, in order to explain his absence, she has told Martine her father was a great explorer and lion hunter in Africa. Not to disappoint his daughter, Émile accepts to pose as the adventurer he is supposed to be. At the same time he will help Daniel, Martine's bashful fiancé, not to become a henpecked husband like him.

Filmography

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Le Sénégal et le Festival Mondial des Arts NègresLe Sénégal et le Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres · 1966
Le Sénégal et le Festival Mondial des Arts Nègres
1966
MovieDocumentary
Promotional newsreel of Dakar, selected to host the first edition of the World Festival of Black Arts. The report features the history of the city, its architectural and commercial evolution, its air and maritime connections, its natural beauty, hotels and tourist attractions. Organised by Léopold Sédar Senghor on the initiative of the magazine “Présence Africaine” and the African Cultural Society, it was an unprecedented event in the cultural history of the African continent. The first festival was held in Dakar on 1-24 April 1966. Participants included André Malraux, Aimé Césaire, Jean Price-Mars, Duke Ellington, Joséphine Baker, Langston Hughes, Aminata Fall, Robert Hayden and many others. All the arts were represented: literature, music, dance, film and visual arts.

Director

Birago Diop, StorytellerBirago Diop, Storyteller · 1981
Birago Diop, Storyteller
7.01981
MovieDocumentary
Birago Diop appears as the pioneer of African letters. He knew the long journey of poets of blackness from the 30s. But, while young writers Antillean and African chose poetry to express the search for their identity, Birago Diop was located from the beginning of his work at the heart of the African literary world, adopting as a mode of expression the tale and the novel. Birago Diop evokes his memories: coming from the old Saint-Louisian bourgeoisie, he made his classes at Faidherbe high school, the first high school of West Africa, before coming to France to study veterinary medicine, an opportunity for him to participate in the first one. core of African Presence. His works are now on the curriculum of high schools in Senegal.

Director